Tucker blade motion for rotary folding mechanisms



W 1944- A. .1. CARPENTER, JR 2,348,605

TUCKER BLADE MOTION FOR ROTARY FOLDING MECHANISMS Filed Aug. 20, 1942 v3 Sheets- Sheet 1 May 9, 1944a A. J. CARPENTER, 'JR

TUCKER BLADE MOTION FOR ROTARY FOLDING MECHANISMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledAug. 20, .1942

May 9, 14410 A. .1. CARPENTER, .JR

TUCKER BLADE MOTION FOR ROTARY FOLDING MECHANISMS Filed Aug. 20, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet I):

Patented May 9, 1944 UNlTlilD STATES TUCKER BIJADE MOTION FOR ROTARYFOLDING MECHANISBIS Albert James Carpenter, Jr., Battle Creek, Mich,

assignor to The Duplex Printing Press Company, Battle Creek, Mich, acorporation of Michigan Application August 20, 1942, Serial No. 455,494

19 Claims.

This invention is a novel tucker blade motion for rotary foldingmechanisms. particularly adapted for use in connection with the cuttingcylinders operating upon webs from newspaper printing press or the like,said folding mechanisms usually consisting of one, two or more tuckerblades, or blade assemblies, fastened to a tucker shaft which is rotatedwith and fastened to a folding cylinder revolving about a central axis,the tucker blade shafts being driven by gearing so that they rotateabout their own axes in a direction opposite to that of the foldingcylinder by proper selection of gearing, gear speeds, tucker bladelength, and location of the position of the tucker blade shaft centers,whereby the outer tips of the tucker blades are constrained to move in arepetitive path to push the paper which has been carried around thefolding cylinder off of the folding cylinder, and to tuck the paperbetween two folding rolls which complete the fold in the paper.

The repetitive path of the tucker blade tips in such mechanisms isusually that generated by a point on a circle, which circle rolls on theinside of a circle of three times greater diameter than the firstmentioned circle, and ordinarily a large internal ring gear is utilizedwithin which the smaller gears on the tucker blade shafts revolve. Suchmechanisms are necessarily large due to the necessity of using anannular ring gear, and their size presents a hazard often causing injuryto pressmen due to the rotating parts.

I have provided a tucker blade drive in which the same repetitive pathis duplicated by a novel arrangement of gearing in which the foldingcylinder, carrying the tucker blade shaft is rotated in one direction,and in which the blade length from the axis of the tucker blade shaft tothe outer edge or tip is one-fourth the diameter of the circle describedby the axis of the tucker blade shaft in its orbit about the axis of thefolding cylinder, the tucker blade shaft being driven by a gear ofselected size which rotates on and in the same direction as the foldingcylinder shaft, said gear meshing with a gear of selected size thetucker blade shaft whereby the tucker blade shaft is rotated in adirection opposite from that of the folding cylinder. With proper choiceof gear sizes and speed in relation to the folding cylinder speed thetucker blade tip may be constrained to move in any desired repetitivepath.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel tucker bladedrive which is a distinct departure from those previously used, andwhich combines smoothness of operation by utilizing gears and parts alloperating at uniform rotary speed, together with a compactness andsafety not found in other tucker blade mechanisms, thereby reducingdanger to pressmen from rotating parts. Moreover, all gearing used in mymechanism being of external type thereby reducing the cost ofmanufacture over that of the internal gear type of gearing heretoforeused in other mechanisms.

Other minor objects of the invention will be hereinafter set forth.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof, to enableothers familiar with the art to adopt and use the same; and willsummarize in the claims the novel fea tures of construction, and novelcombinations o parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view illustrating prior art mechanismsutilizing an internal ring gear within which the gear on the tuckerblade shaft rotates, and showing the repetitive path followed by the tipof the tucker blade.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my novel mechanismproportioned to give the same repetitive path for the tip of the tuckerblade shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation partly in section, showing my novel tuckerblade drive arranged in a rotary folding machine, and showing thearrangement of gearing.

Fig. i is an end elevation of the exposed parts shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5, Fig. 3.

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views simi lar to Fig. 2 showingsome of the various tucker blade motions which may be effected by usingdifferent gear sizes in the mechanism.

Fig. 1. shows, diagrammatically, a commonly used prior art arrangementof a tucker blade drive, the tucker blade being indicated at A, andhaving an axis of rotation at B, said tucker blade being rotated by gearC which itself rotates within an annular ring gear D, the pitch diameterof gear C being usually one-third the pitch diameter of the internalgear D, and the direction of movement of the gear C within the circlebeing indicated by the arrow F, while the direction of rotation of thegear C is indicated by the arrow G, whereby the path of the tip A of.the blade A will follow the substantially triangular repetitive pathindicated by the lines H.

This same path of th tip of the tucker blade may be duplicated by mynovel tucker blade drive shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2, in which therotation of the folding cylinder M and the tucker blade shaft N fixed t0the cylinder M is assumed clockwise as shown by the arrow M, and thedistance from the axis of the tucker blade shaft N to the outer tip oredge P of the blade P is onefcurth the diameter of the circle describedby the axis N of the tucker blade shaft rotating about the axis M2 ofcylinder M, the tucker blade shaft N being driven by a gear R whichrotates on and in the same direction as the folding cylinder M as shownby the arrow R, said gear R meshing with a gear S on the tucker bladeshaft N, so that the tucker blade shaft is driven counterclockwise, asshown by the arrow S. By proper choice of gear size and speed, inrelation to the cylinder speed of rotation, the tucker blade edge P isconstrained to move in the substantially triangular repetitive pathindicated by the lines T, which path is a duplicate of the path H of thetip of the tucker blade shown in Fig. 1, the compactness of my driveover that shown in Fig. 1 being obvious.

Figs. 3, 4 and illustrate a folding mechanism provided with my noveltucker blade drive, said folding mechanism being particularly adaptedfor use in connection with the cutting cylinder receiving a web from anewspaper printing press, the cutting cylinder I, folding cylinder 2,folding rolls II, III), and the drive therefor (not shown) being similarto those used in Duplex folding machines now on the market, the sameforming no part of my present invention.

In Fig. 4 the cutting cylinder I is shown to the left of the foldingcylinder 2, and thus the folding cylinder 2 would normally revolve in acounter-clockwise direction as shown by the arrow 2a (Fig. 4) so thatthe web to be folded would be drawn down between the two cylinders I and2 as is common practice.

In Fig. 3 the folding cylinder 2 is shown mounted upon a shaft 3journaled in the side frames 4, 4a of the folder, said shaft 3 extendingbeyond one side frame 4 and fixedly carrying thereon a gear 5 whichrotates in the same direction as the folding cylinder 2. Gear 5 carrieson its outer face a bevel gear 6 meshing with a bevel drive pinion Icarried by a drive shaft 8.

Gear 5 directly drives an intermediate gear 9 (Figs. 3 and 4) rotatingfreely on a stud 9a carried by the frame 4, gear 9 meshing with a gearIII which is fixedly mounted on the shaft Ila (Figs. 3 and 4) of thestationary folding roll II, which roll cooperates with a movable foldingroll IIb (Figs. 4 and 5) between which rolls II, I Ib the tip of thetucker blade enters during its repetitive path in the usual manner.

The stationary folding roll shaft Ila is journaled in and passes throughframe 4, as shown in Fig. 3, and has fixedly mounted thereon a gear I2(Figs. 3 and 5), meshing with an intermediate gear I3 (Figs. 3 and 5)freely mounted on a stud I3a carried by the frame 4. Intermediate gearI3 meshes directly with a gear I4 (Figs. 3

and 4) having fixed thereto, or formed integrally therewith, a gear I5(Figs. 3 and 5), the double gears I4I5 being journaled in antifrictionbearings I6 upon the folding cylinder shaft 3 so as to freely rotatethereon independently of the folding cylinder shaft 3 but under theinfluence of gear I3 which drives the double gears I 4I5 both in thesame counter-clockwise direction as the folding cylinder 2, as shown bythe arrow I5a (Fig. 5), but at a different speed of rotation than thefolding cylinder 2.

The tucker blade shafts I! are journaled in bearings 21: carried by theend frames 2y of folding cylinder 2, and therefore said bearings 2a:rotate with the folding cylinder. On the end of each tucker blade shaftI1 is a gear I8 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which meshes with and is drivendirectly by the gear I5 completing the drive for rotating the tuckerplates I 9 in a direction opposite to the orbital movement of the tuckerblade shafts IT, as shown by the arrow I811 (Fig. 5).

Figs. 6, '7, 8 and 9 show some of the various repetitive paths of tuckerblade tips obtainable when using my novel drive with proper choice andgear sizes and tucker blade lengths, the path in Fig. 6 being indicatedby the lines T6, and by the lines T1 in Fig. 7, lines T6 in Fig. 8, andthe straight line T9 in Fig. 9.

As an example, Fig. 6 shows a practica1 blade path T6 common in therotary folding art, said path being obtained by the mechanism shown inFigs. 3, 4 and 5 by choice of gear sizes as follows: In Fig. 6 the gear5 has a pitch diameter equal to the diameter of the folding cylinder 2,and may be of 14 /2" diameter, 15'' diameter or any other diameter tosuit the length of the paper sheets to be folded, and thus the gear 5will have the same peripheral speed and same direction of rotation asthe folding Cylinder 2. The gear 9, being an intermediate gear, does notaffect the drive speed relations, but may conveniently be approximatelyone-half the diameter of gear 5. Gear IIl which meshes with gear 9 isselected to be one-quarter the diameter of gear 5 so that its speed ofrotation is four times that of gear 5 and in the same direction.

The path T6 of the tip of the tucker blade P (Fig. 6) extends beyond thediameter of the folding cylinder 2 in order to tuck the paper betweenthe folding rolls II, III) (Fig. 4). In order to accomplish this path,the axis of the tucker blade shaft I1 is chosen, and then the distancefrom the tucker blade tip to its rotational center, i. e., the axis oftucker blade shaft I1, is made equal to one-third the diameter of thecircle described by the orbital movement of the axis of the tucker bladeshaft II. Then, since one object of the invention is to obtain a compactdrive, the diameter of gear I8 is chosen as small as practical which, inthe embodiment shown in Fig. 6, is onethird the pitch diameter of thegear I5 with which same meshes, whereby the speed of rotation of gear I8is three times that of gear I5.

With this choice of gear sizes in order to obtain the correct tip pathT6 (Fig. 6), the speed of gear I5 must be two times the speed of thefolding cylinder shaft 3 and in the same rotational direction so thatthe gear I5 will rotate gear I8 through three revolutions relative togear I5 as the tucker blade shafts I! held in their bearings 2:13 on thefolding cylinder 2 make one revolution relative to the machine frame andgear I5 makes two revolutions relative to themachine frame. selected ofthe same size as gear 5, for the sake of simplicity. Gear I3, which isan intermediate gear, is one-half the size of gear I4 (and gear I5)while the gear I2 is selected of one-half the size of gear I4. Sincegear I2 is fixed on the shaft Ila of the stationary folding roll II,gear I2 will rotate at the same speed as the gear II) which, aspreviously stated, is one-quarter the size of the gear 5, andconsequently rotates four times for each revolution of gear 5. Thereforegears I 4 and I5 make two revolutions for each revolution of gear 5,which gear 5 is fixed on the folding cylinder shaft 3.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 show other tucker blade paths which may be obtainedutilizing my drive by suitable selection of gear sizes, but obviouslymany more paths could be obtained than those shown herein, provided thediameters of circles of the orbital movements of the tucker blade shaftsI! are integral multiples of the distances from the To accomplish this,the gear I4 is axes I! of the tucker blades to their outer edges ortips; and provided the speeds of rotation of the double gears M and Iare integral multiples of the speed of rotation of the foldingcylinders; and provided the gear I5 is of such diameter as to cause thepinions of the tucker shafts to rotate an integral multiple of the speedof rotation of the gear I5.

I do not limit my invention to the exact form shown in the drawings, forobviously changes could be made therein within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary folding mechanism having a driven shaft fixedly carryinga folding cylinder having tucker blade shafts journaled therein carryingtucker blades; a gear fixedly mounted on the driven shaft; an externalgear freely journaled on the driven shaft; means for driving theexternal gear by the first gear and in the same direction of rotation asthe folding cylinder but at a .higher speed; and pinions on the tuckerblade shafts meshing with the external gear, whereby the tucker bladeshafts will be rotated in a direction opposite from the orbital movementof the said tucker blade shafts.

2. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 1, the diameter of theorbital path of the tucker blade shafts being an integral multiple ofthe distance from the axis of said tucker blade shafts to the outer tipsof the tucker blades.

3. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 1, the speed of rotationof the external gear being an integral multiple of the speed of rotationof the folding cylinder.

4. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said external gearand pinions being of such diameter as to rotate the tucker blade shaftsan integral multiple of the speed of rotation of the external gear.

5. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 1, the speed of rotationof the external gear being an integral multiple of the speed of rotationof the folding cylinder; and said external gear and pinions being ofsuch diameter as to rotate the tucker blade shafts an integral multipleof the speed of rotation of the external gear.

6. In a rotary folding mechanism having a driven shaft fixedly carryinga folding cylinder 5 having tucker blade shafts journaled thereincarrying tucker blades cooperating with movable and stationary foldingrolls; a tucker blade drivecomprising a gear fixedly mounted on thedriven shaft; means for rotating the shaft of the stationary foldingroll by the said gear; an external gear freely journaled on the drivenshaft; means for rotating the external gear from the stationary foldingroll shaft and in the same direction of rotation as the folding cylinderbut at a higher speed; and pinions on the tucker blade shafts meshingwith the external gear, whereby the tucker blade shafts will be rotatedin a direction opposite from the orbital movement of the said tuckerblade shafts.

7. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, the diameter of theorbital path of the tucker blade shafts being an integral multiple ofthe distance from the axis of said tucker blade shafts to the outer tipsof the tucker blades.

8. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, the speed of rotationof the external gear being an integral multiple of the speed of rotationof the folding cylinder.

9. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, said external gearand pinions being of such diameter as to rotate the tucker blade shaftsan integral multiple of the speed of rotation of the external gear.

10. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, the speed ofrotation of the external gear being an integral multiple of the speed ofrotation of the folding cylinder; and said external gear and pinionsbeing of such diameter as to rotate the tucker blade shafts an integralmultiple of the speed of rotation of the external gear.

11. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, said means forrotating the stationary folding roll shaft comprising a third gear onsaid roll shaft; and an idler gear meshing with the first gear and withthe third gear.

12. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 6, said means forrotating the external gear comprising a fourth gear on said folding rollshaft, and an idler gear meshing with the fourth gear and external gear.

13. In a rotary folding mechanism having driven shaft fixedly carrying afolding cylinder in which tucker blade shafts are journaled carryingtucker blades cooperating with movable and stationary folding rolls. atucker blade drive comprising a gear fixedly mounted on the drive shaft;means for rotating the shaft of the stationary folding roll by the saidgear and in the same direction of rotation as the folding cylinder; anexternal double gear freely journaled on the driven shaft; means forrotating one gear of the double gear from the stationary folding rollshaft and in the same direction of rotation as the folding cylinder butat a higher speed; and pinions on the tucker blade shafts meshing withthe other gear of the double gear, whereby the tucker blade shafts willbe rotated in a direction opposite from the orbital movement of the saidtucker blade shafts.

14. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, the diameter of theorbital path of the tucker blade shafts being an integral multiple ofthe distance from the axis of said tucker blade shafts to the outer tipsof the tucker blades.

15. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, the speed ofrotation of the double gear being an integral multiple of the speed ofrotation of the folding cylinder.

16. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, said other gear ofthe double gear and pinions being of such diameter as to rotate thetucker blade shafts an integral multiple of the speed of rotation of thedouble gear.

17. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, the speed ofrotation of the double gear being an integral multiple of the speed ofrotation of the folding cylinder, and said other gear of the double gearand pinion being of such diameter as to rotate the tucker blade shaftsan integral multiple of the speed of rotation of the double gear.

18. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, said means forrotating the stationary folding roll shaft comprising a third gear onsaid roll shaft; and an idler gear meshing with the first gear and withthe third gear.

19. In a folding mechanism as set forth in claim 13, said means forrotating one gear of the double gear comprising a fourth gear on saidfolding roll shaft; and an idler gear meshing with the fourth gear andthe said gear of the double gear.

ALBERT J. CARPENTER, J R.

